1. Field of the Invention
This invention is related in general to pocket or purse organizers and, in particular, to a device that organizes, stores, and protects wallet-sized cards, such as those containing credit or identification information.
2. Description of the Related Art
Inside a typical wallet or purse, one is likely to find a half-dozen or more cards such as license, credit, check, ATM, and membership cards, amongst others. The usual dimensions of these cards is approximately 8.5 cm in length by 5.5 cm in width and 1 mm or less in thickness. The storing, organizing, and retrieving of wallet-size cards has led to a need for compact, yet efficient, holders.
Standard wallets or purses may contain pockets or inserts of clear plastic envelopes that serve to store or organize cards. However, such features are not ideal for several reasons. First, cards can be difficult to retrieve from, or place into, deep pockets or plastic envelopes. Second, the space available for individual cards frequently is filled to capacity, requiring the storage of a stack of multiple cards in a single pocket or envelope. Thus, retrieval of a particular card is hampered because all cards in a stack must be at least partially removed or displaced during sorting. Moreover, cards can fall out of a purse or wallet pocket, or be fumbled and dropped while one is sorting through a stack to find a particular card.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,697,698 entitled xe2x80x9cCredit and Identification Card Holder,xe2x80x9d issued to Holdener, describes a case for storing wallet-size cards. Each card is located on its own sliding drawer that can be individually advanced and removed from the case. The sliding drawer holds a card in place through the use of stops disposed at the ends of the drawer. In this manner, a card is prevented from falling out.
However, the requirement for the sliding drawer parts of Holdener necessarily augments the thickness of the card holder. Such extra thickness is a problem, in that it is undesirable for a pocket-size card holder to have an more bulk than is needed to store the cards. Accordingly, as highlighted in the last paragraph before the claims of the Holdener patent, the sliding drawer design can result in a card holder that is very awkward to handle if made to accommodate more then 6 cards. Moreover, if the required sliding drawer parts become lost or broken, holder""s device would suffer from diminished capacity or be practically unuseable.
Thus, there continues to be a need in the art for a card holder that stores, organizes, protects, and allows easy retrieval of individual cards in a more compactly-designed case, with no separate components to lose or break, then has heretofore been known.
The primary, general objective of this invention is to provide a card holder that stores and organizes wallet-sized cards as compactly as possible.
Another general objective is to simplify the card identification and retrieval process such that individual cards may be selected and ejected from a holder quickly and easily.
Another, more specific, goal of the invention is to provide a compact card holder that does not rely on the use of a sliding drawer mechanism in order to store and access cards inside the holder.
Still another objective is to provide a holder that securely keeps cards inside the holder so as to prevent their accidentally falling out.
Yet another goal is to keep cards protected from becoming damaged or, where appropriate, demagnetized.
Another objective is to efficiently store from 1 to 12 cards in single pocket-size device.
Still another objective is to provide a compact card holder that is inexpensively manufactured from commonly available components.
Therefore, according to these and other objectives, the invention generally provides a compact, portable device designed primarily for the storage, selection and ejection of up to twelve wallet-size cards, such as a driver""s license or debit card.
More specifically, the invention provides a three-dimensional, preferably flat and rectangular, case that contains an interior cavity defined by a top piece and a bottom piece connected by two side walls and a rear wall, with an opening at one end of the case. Cards are inserted through the opening into one of several parallel slots disposed in each side wall of the case until they are frictionally engaged, preferably by resilient pads disposed on each side wall, and flush with an ejection tab assembly located at the rear wall of the case. This design allows a card to be individually displaced by a particular tab assembly, which is linked to an actuator button located on the exterior of the case. Preferably, each button is labeled to remind the user of the slot location and identity of the card to be ejected.
Also preferably, the ejection tab assembly is actuated by pushing a spring-loaded button in the direction of the opening of the case. The button is connected to a an U-shaped tab aligned with the back edge of a card. Thus, as the button is slid toward the opening, the end of the U-shaped tab pushes the card forward, extending it out of the device approximately one-half inch so that it may be pulled out for use. Upon releasing the button, the compacted spring returns the button to its original position.
As mentioned above, cards are kept from falling out of the case of the invention by virtue of frictional engagement with a resilient material. While the case itself may provide for such engagement, resilient pads disposed parallel to the side walls of the case and located near the rear wall are preferred. Obviously, however, the frictional engagement force provided by the invention should be less than the ejection force provided by the tab assemblies such that cards may be advanced from the case.
Optionally, the bottom piece of the case may include a permanent or removable clip, which can hold paper currency or attach the case to another object. Moreover, the case of the invention may include one or more card-like accessories adapted to harbor or display a mirror, paper currency, photographs, a nailfile or other items typically carried in a wallet or purse. Finally, a protective cover made of, for example, leather or vinyl may be used in conjunction with the invention.
Various other purposes and advantages of the invention will become clear from its description in the specification that follows and from the novel features particularly pointed out in the appended claims. Therefore, to the accomplishment of the objectives described above, this invention consists of the features hereinafter illustrated in the drawings, fully described in the detailed description of the preferred embodiment and particularly pointed out in the claims. However, such drawings and description disclose but one of the various ways in which the invention may be practiced.